The Queens of Ferelden
by Sarah1281
Summary: After the defeat of the Archdemon, Arden Cousland goes to visit her predecessor and former lover in prison hoping to talk her out of choosing to die before swearing fealty to their new King.


The Queens of Ferelden

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Age.

Note: Contains references to a former femmeslash relationship. Semi-sequel to Impossible but you don't have to read that first to understand this.

Arden Cousland stood silently as she gazed upon the political prisoner. Alistair hadn't thought that this was a good idea and he was probably right but he hadn't known of the history the two women had shared. She _had_ to do this.

Anora, former Queen of Ferelden, finally deigned to look up her replacement. "You have something to say, do you?"

"I wanted to see how you were," Arden said a little lamely. She knew that Anora had no intentions of making this easy and, all things considered, she couldn't really blame her.

"And now you've seen for yourself that, aside from being locked up like some sort of criminal, I am just fine," Anora said tightly. "You may leave now."

"Don't be like that, Anora," Arden pleaded.

"Like what?" Anora asked innocently. "Bitter? Why ever would I be bitter? It's not like you betrayed me and took everything."

Arden drew back as if she'd been struck. "Don't say it like that. I didn't have a choice."

"Oh no?" Anora asked mockingly as she raised one elegant eyebrow. "So I suppose that someone _forced_ you to declare yourself Alistair's Queen at the Landsmeet? That doesn't sound like the Arden I remember. Or was one of your mage companions a maleficar who left you no option that way?"

"You had your chance to be Queen," Arden said flatly. "It was _your_ father that brought us to the point that Alistair was even being considered to succeed his brother."

"Yes, my father that betrothed violently murdered," Anora said balefully.

"I…wish he had handled that differently," Arden conceded. "Seeing him lop off Loghain's head like that in front of you…it reminded me of my father's death. He's his own man, though, regardless of what you, Loghain, and even Eamon might have believed. The minute Alistair stepped forward to duel your father his fate was sealed."

"Our glorious new King: a revenge-driven maniac," Anora deadpanned.

"Don't say that," Arden said sharply. "It's not like you didn't know it could happen and it's not like he didn't do plenty that others would have seen him hang for."

"Even so, my father could have easily been killed without needing to hand the throne over to Alistair," Anora pointed out. "Or did you think I could order my father raised from the dead it I retained my crown? I was an _excellent_ Queen, limited though my consort status made me."

"I thought that once," Arden admitted. "You seemed born for the role and you certainly were raised for it."

"Then why didn't you let me keep doing the only thing I've ever been meant for?" Anora demanded.

"Because this past year has opened my eyes," Arden shot back. "I've finally seen the _real_ Ferelden, not just the idyllic parts that a noblewoman is permitted to see. I went to the Circle Tower and I found the situation desperate enough that there was a blood magic uprising there and deals being made with demons with the root causes occurring _long_ before Ostagar. I went to Denerim and found the guards more criminal than those they arrested. I went to the Alienage and found that it's long been a practice of the former Arl of Denerim's son to rape and kill the elves living there. This was under _your _rule, Anora, this was _your_ responsibility and what did you do? Nothing. You said that you were ruling for Cailan these past few years and I believed you. You're the voice of the status quo and that's frankly not what Ferelden needs right now."

"You really think that Alistair will do any better?" Anora laughed incredulously.

"I don't know," Arden admitted, looking down. "I really wish I did. I do know that he is a good man, a kind man and that he cares about injustices. He may not know the art of ruling like you do but he'll learn and he'll have Eamon and I there to help teach him. You're so caught up in trade and relations with other nations that you completely overlook the problems with your own and that's not good enough anymore, for Alistair or for me."

"That's the price of progress!" Anora insisted. "How grateful do you think the people of Ferelden will be that you've made sure that they're nice and comfortable in their everyday lives once we stagnate and fall further behind the other nations of Thedas? They already think we're a backwards nation and they don't take us seriously."

"Those _are_ legitimate concerns," Arden agreed. "And Alistair and I **will** address them but we won't abandon the people we're supposed to be ruling to do it. You get so caught up in the big picture and your grand plans, Anora, that you can't see what's right in front of you and the little man always suffers because of it. You've always been like that."

"My grand plans?" Anora repeated, sounding as if she couldn't believe it. "And what about you?"

"What about me?" Arden asked carefully, wondering where the former Queen was going with this.

"You've wanted to be Queen since you were four," Anora spat. "You admitted as much to me! And then, when you found yourself in a position to rule Maric's bastard's side, what do you do? You _take_ it."

Arden stiffened. "I happen to love Alistair, you know."

"Of _course_ you do," Anora scoffed. "You loved me, too, when I was going to be Queen. It's a wonder you never set your sights on Cailan as you could have tried to secure a crown that way but I suppose you knew as well as I did that he was never one to pick a girl and stick with her. It's all about power for you."

Arden shook her head in disbelief. "Now I know how Leliana feels. I'm not _you_, Anora."

"So you deny wanting the throne?" Anora challenged.

Arden hesitated. "I…no, I can't do that. I did want the throne but it wasn't worth sacrificing everything over. I fell in love with Alistair long before he ever thought to mention that he was a prince. Yes, I was thrilled to hear that because, yes, I did want to be Queen but if I had to, if I thought the throne would have destroyed him, I would have given it up in a heartbeat. Could you honestly say that you would have done the same for anybody?"

Anora didn't even bother answering that. "So…what? I'm not fit to be Queen because I have my priorities straight and place the welfare about the nation above a man?"

"I'm not sure I'd agree that that's having your priorities straight, choosing to sacrifice the man you claim to love for the sake of your ambitions," Arden said wryly. "When it comes right down to it, it's like Eamon said. You're a good administrator but you're terrible as far as people are concerned. That's always been your problem. If I had to choose between someone who was good at administrating but poor with people and someone who was good with people and a terrible administrator then I would have gone with you but that's just it: Alistair has the potential to be both. I have the potential to make him a better ruler than he'd be by himself."

"You're just making excuses," Anora accused.

Arden looked at her former lover sadly. "I'm sorry you feel that way. I wish I could change your mind but it's pretty clear that you're determined to believe the worst in me. I do love Alistair, though, and I did love you. I'm not even sure if I had to say who I loved more, you or him that I would be able to choose. But Anora…you're the one who ended things six years ago when you married Cailan. You can't possibly expect me not to have moved on in that time and you certainly never gave any indication that you were pining after me."

"I would never _pine_," Anora said icily, "much less after you."

"Just the same," Arden continued, brushing off the sudden flash of hurt. "As angry as you may be now, please don't belittle what we had then."

"Why are you even here?" Anora demanded. "Surely you didn't come to reminiscence about the 'good old days.'"

"No," Arden admitted. "That's not quite why I'm here." She took a deep breath, knowing that Anora wasn't going to like this. "I need you to swear fealty to Alistair."

Anora stared at her for a moment in disbelief. "I would have thought you'd have known me better than that, Arden, particularly after I declined the first time I was asked."

"Be reasonable, Anora," Arden implored her.

"I'm being perfectly reasonable," Anora claimed, crossing her arms defiantly. "Why should the Queen swear fealty to the man who stole her throne?"

"Because Eamon wants you executed," Arden said bluntly.

"That's hardly a surprise," Anora said, sounding a little bored.

"If you don't swear fealty to Alistair then I think he's going to agree with his new chancellor," Arden told her, trying to make her see reason by sheer force of will.

"And if I do, what then?" Anora challenged. "A lifetime of captivity? An exile from the homeland my father fought tirelessly to free?"

"We haven't really talked about it since Alistair can't quite believe that you'll actually agree to swear fealty," Arden admitted.

Anora snorted. "He's smarter than I gave him credit for."

"We haven't had a chance to appoint a Teyrn to replace your father," Arden informed her. "It's land given to your family by King Maric and though your father died in disgrace no one ever got around to stripping him of his lands first. As such, if we can trust you not to start an uprising, I should be able to talk Alistair into letting you keep the teynir. It's not quite the throne, I'll admit, but it is literally the next best thing and frankly, Anora, you're not going to get a better offer."

Anora was quiet as she thought the deal over. "Still so sentimental after all this time…" she mused, shaking her head. "I'll…think about it."

"I suppose that's the best I can hope for," Arden said, actually smiling a little at the thought that Anora's legendary stubbornness might not get her killed after all.

Now, to convince her husband to go along with it without actually mentioning that little detail about her past involvement with the future Teyrna…

Review Please!


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